Stewardship

Land & Natural Resources

Agriculture

Sustainability Practices

Sustainability Practices

Energy Efficiency

Promoting stewardship includes efficiently managing resources on the ranch and from the grid, as well as sustainably occupying this landscape. We are streamlining our energy use with a windmill and by employing diligence in keeping doors and windows closed when indoor/outdoor temperatures contrast as well as using lighting only as needed to reduce our electrical dependency on the grid. We believe in mimicking nature’s water flow to flood irrigate our fields, closely monitoring the amount of water taken from the headwaters. With the installation of a gravity fed pivot irrigation system in our hay field, we’ve substantially decreased the amount of water used to irrigate through the summer months. We decrease our labor energy by using our cattle as a main tool to increase the health, biodiversity and productivity of the range and landscape by again mimicking the natural movement of wild herd animals, who for centuries have positively impacted the land by fertilizing, moving through and leaving the land to rest. B Bar is proud of the many years we have used true horse-power for working fields and haying. Even now that the Suffolk Punch Draft Horses are gone, we continue to use engine-powered equipment minimally and only when necessary. We are experimenting with goats in lieu of heavy equipment or major labor to mitigate noxious weeds.

Wherever possible we use efficiency light bulbs, consolidate trips to town and car-pool as able. We use current green guest laundry service practices, utilize gentle cleaning products, recycle materials and equipment, and compost kitchen and garden waste.